For the first time, Ukraine has convicted an occupation "judge" from Crimea for the persecution of Akhtem Chiygoz and other civilians

For the first time in Ukraine, an occupational "judge" has been convicted for persecuting civilians. Among the key episodes are the illegal detention of Akhtem Chiygoz, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, as well as the sentencing of Ukrainian activist Oleksandr Kostenko, UNN reports with reference to the Prosecutor General's Office.

On April 28, 2026, a verdict was passed that directly recognized the use of the occupational "judicial" system against the civilian population—as a tool of pressure, punishment, and intimidation—as a war crime. Following a public prosecution by the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomy, a former "judge" of the occupational "Kyiv District Court of Simferopol" was found guilty of violating the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). He was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property 

Details

As reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, it was proven that after the occupation of Crimea, he deliberately defected to the side of the aggressor state, swore allegiance to it, and worked within the illegal judicial system, making decisions aimed at persecuting people for their pro-Ukrainian stance.

Among the key episodes are the illegal detention of Akhtem Chiygoz, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, for participating in a peaceful rally in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as the sentencing of Ukrainian activist Oleksandr Kostenko to 4 years and 2 months in prison for events related to the Revolution of Dignity.

Activist Edem Bekirov was arrested by her decision: Prosecutor General Kravchenko stated that the "judge" from Crimea received 15 years behind bars09.02.26, 18:10

The court established that such decisions were made using the legislation of the Russian Federation on the occupied territory and flagrantly violated the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions. This was qualified as a systemic deprivation of civilians' right to a fair trial.

Currently, the convicted individual continues to work for the occupiers in the seized part of the Kherson region and is under sanctions from a number of states and international partners of Ukraine 

Ukraine convicts nine judges from occupied Crimea in absentia for treason27.02.24, 14:27